[The History of the Triangle]

On 4/15/2015 at 9:15 PM, Jones_ said:

I am using Elizabeth Reid Murray's book as my reference and it has three places it says Whitaker's Mill was on Crabtree Creek and its clear it was the one at Wake Forest Road…two of those references says that was its name in the 20th century so perhaps the Bevers map shows an earlier mill Whitaker owned. The spot shown on Bevers is the confluence of the SE and SW prongs of Beaver Dam creek about where the Harris Teeter is at the intersection of Oberlin and Glenwood is today, so that certainly isn't on Crabtree Creek. Here is a passage in an inset that clarifies further:

"The stone dam and mill known in the 20th century as Whitaker's Mill were rebuilt on the site of the Raleigh Powder Mill built by Waterhouse and Bowes to supply ammunition for the Confederacy throughout the Civil War. " pg 469n

Isaac Hunter and Joseph Gales was also earlier owners according to Murray. 

Interestingly the Joel Whitaker house (seen dates ranging from 1875 to 1882) still stands on Hillsborough st today (brick near the corner of Boylan), though I believe Zanoni owns it, and if that is the case I'd consider it endangered…he tore down the Fabius Briggs house after all...aka Jackpot aka Bourbon St pool hall. 

I'm currently studying this mill site... the Powder Mill.  I believe that most evidence of it has been obliterated by Wake Forest Rd and some parking lots?  Also, there is some confusion in my head anyway, on the old maps.  The Powder Mill seems to shift around and cross the creek and etc.  Today, I walked down there.  I believe the remain of a dam are visible right on the Northeast side of the Wake Forest Rd bridge.  And there is a pool of some sort built on that side that may date to the 1860's, though it definitely has modern renovations as well.  All the pieces don't fit yet, but I'll post some stuff on the "you know you grew up in raleigh" facebook group.  [email protected]